Kingston skip wins morning game at Tankard

After a first-draw loss, skip Greg Balsdon’s team from the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club bounced back with a 9-7 victory on Thursday morning at the Ontario Tankard provincial mn’s curling championship in Huntsville.

Playing in the B bracket of the triple-knockout to determine Ontario’s rep at the Regina Brier in March, Team Balsdon settled down after giving up a three-count in the second end to score the two-shot win over Sebastien Robillard of Ottawa.

The Cataraqui team, which includes Kingston’s Jon Beuk and Napanee’s Scott Chadwick, scored in five of the nine ends completed, with multiple scores of a two in the first, a three in the third and a final deuce in the eighth.

Balsdon’s team was defeated 10-4 by Mark Kean in the A bracket on Wednesday night.

Peterborough’s John Epping, who is playing out of the Leaside Curling Club, defeated Mark Bice of Sarnia, 7-5, in the A bracket semifinal on Thursday, setting up a meetng with Glenn Howard of Toronto St. George’s in the A-bracket semifinal on Thursday night at the Canada Summit Centre. Howard won his game 8-2 over Kean.

Codey Maus of London Highlands, with Wes Forget of Kingston playing second, will face the loser of the Howard and Kean game.

The winner of the A bracket final on Thursday night will move to the Page 1-2 playoff game on Saturday afternoon.

Bice dropped to the B bracket and will play Balsdon in the 7:30 p.m. draw.

Codey Maus of London Highlands, with Wes Forget of Kingston playing second, will play Kean.

The winners of the Balsdon/Bice game and the Maus/Kean game will play Friday morning in the B-bracket semifinal.